Birmingham police responded to a report of shots fired shortly before 3 p.m. that Saturday. When they arrived on the scene, they found Long lying in the road at the intersection of 33rd Street and Avenue E. Long was pronounced dead on the scene.

The victim, police said, had left an apartment complex in the 3400 block of Avenue E and gotten into a vehicle with an unknown person just before he was found. The apartment complex is located about a block from where Long's body was found.

Neighbors said they heard about four shots. At the time of Hale's arrest, Williams said detectives learned that the suspect and victim were involved in a dispute during a drug transaction just before the shooting.

Court records for Hale say Long was killed while Hale was robbing him of the heroin. The arrest affidavit for Harris has not yet been made public.

Williams said Thursday he isn't sure of Harris' role but said she was with Hale when Long was killed. Hale was arrested in November on a charge of unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, court records show. That case is set for trial in January, 2014.

Court records show Harris was arrested in October on charges of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Those cases have not yet gone to trial.